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Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

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Monday, January 25, 2010

Strips of round steak, slow stewed with tomatoes and vegetables and served over a bed of garlic cheese grits.

Grillades and Grits

Grillades and Grits {pronounced GREE-ahds}, found on the menu at debutante balls and definitely a staple at Mardi Gras, is a dish of smothered beef, slow simmered in a roux and tomato base, though the name literally translated actually means grilled. Made with just about any kind of beef, and sometimes even with pork or veal, I prefer to use inexpensive round steak.

Traditionally grillades are served over garlic cheese grits, which pairs up beautifully and should not be missed in my opinion. You can also make the grits in advance, refrigerate them, make them into fried grit cakes and serve the grillades right on top, which gives a bit of crunchy contrast. If you aren't a fan of grits, polenta, mashed potatoes and rice make a fine substitute - in fact, The Cajun prefers rice himself.

While typically served at a breakfast or brunch and sometimes lunch, Grits and Grillades makes a perfectly acceptable and delicious dinner dish in this house. Serve it alongside a mixed garden salad or a green veggie. Enjoy!

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium high heat in a large iron skillet that has a lid. Slice the round steak into strips and season with the salt and pepper. Toss the meat strips in half of the flour, reserving the remaining flour, and drop the strips into the hot oil to brown. Remove and set aside.

Add additional oil to the skillet as needed to bring it up to 3 tablespoons. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour and cook over medium high heat until lightly browned. Stir in the onion and green bell pepper and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the water and cook and stir until water is fully incorporated and mixture is thickened. Add the meat, tomatoes, Kitchen Bouquet, Cajun seasoning, parsley and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook on a low simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until meat is tender.

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I've never heard of this dish before....it looks perfect for these colder days of winter! My family serves an Italian beef stew over polenta, so I KNOW FOR CERTAIN that this will be a winner in my family! Thanks, Roz

Nothing more southern than grits and I love 'em. Super idea to chill them and then saute them until they get nice and cruncy. I kind of like that idea all by itself!But your Grillades recipes is lovely- I knew what it was, but have never had it.

Oh...I am craving some Grillades and Grits now! The first time I had tasted these was at a Macy's department store in New Orleans, and Leah Chase was doing a cooking demonstration of this recipe. Thank you so much!

A friend and I stopped at a hole in the wall place in New Orleans last year. This was their special, which we had no clue to what it was. We ordered it and fell in love. If you've never tried it .. it is delicious!!I will be trying to make it this weekend. Thanks for the recipe :)

Had Grillades for the first time three years ago in New Orleans. Love them. Had them again when we went back earlier this year. (we've been a total of 12 times) New Orleans is the city that holds my heart!

Just found your blog and Grits and Grillades recipe from Two Runners and a Brown Dog. I am totally making it this weekend and following your blog from now on! I love deep south cooking, but have NO idea how to make anything myself -thanks! Great site!!

Hiya! Well, not sure where "here" is, but of course, we also cook Swiss Steak down here! Some of the ingredients of the two dishes are indeed similar, that is true, and in fact many people probably do make them the same way, but that ain't necessarily right! ;)

Both contain some form of tomato, however Grillades are usually also cooked with a small roux based gravy while Swiss is not. Swiss Steak is also usually cooked in a heavier base of tomatoes than Grillades are, or a combination of tomatoes and beef stock, although again, some people make them the same way.

While Swiss Steak is pan-fried as whole steaks, a dish of Grillades is cooked after being either cut into thin strips, or cut into super thin, pounded pieces, so it cooks a little faster than Swiss Steaks do.

Swiss Steak is always, far as I know, only made with beef, where Grillades might be made using pork, or even veal. A dish of Grillades are also traditionally served with a plate of some kind of grits, typically a cheese version. Swiss Steak is not.

So yes, they are somewhat similar, though in my way of cooking them, they are also quite different! Well, that's my take on it anyway! Hope that helps.

I had this at a little place in Natchez Mississippi,and fell in love. I'm going to make this for my husband and show him that you can eat grits in a whole different way, he likes his with sugar lol. Thanks!

Try this. Almost like the real thing. Kitchen Bouquet Substitute.1/2 cp brown sugar, 2 cps water,1/4 tsp veggie and 1/4 tsp beef bouillon, dash each of garlic and onion powder, 1 tsp black strap molasses. Caramelize sugar and water then add other ingredients and stir constantly until thickened. Yall will be wanting to be putting it on just about everything. I'm from Louisiana and learned this from my gramma about 50 years ago.

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